Accurate and molecular-size-tolerant NMR quantitation of diverse components in solution.

Abstract

Determining the amount of each component of interest in a mixture is a fundamental first step in characterizing the nature of the solution and to develop possible means of utilization of its components. Similarly, determining the composition of units in complex polymers, or polymer mixtures, is crucial. Although NMR is recognized as one of the most powerful methods to achieve this and is widely used in many fields, variation in the molecular sizes or the relative mobilities of components skews quantitation due to the size-dependent decay of magnetization. Here, a method to accurately determine the amount of each component by NMR was developed. This method was validated using a solution that contains biomass-related components in which the molecular sizes greatly differ. The method is also tolerant of other factors that skew quantitation such as variation in the one-bond C-H coupling constant. The developed method is the first and only way to reliably overcome the skewed quantitation caused by several different factors to provide basic information on the correct amount of each component in a solution.